The bond that keeps us together
by Rigeekulous
Summary: COMPLETE! Poor Luigi, he is always overshadowed by his older brother. When a small accident makes Luigi leave his home, will he be able to regain his brother's love? Rated T just to be safe. If you want to read more check the sequel: The Power of Music
1. Prologue

**A/N: I'm sorry AzoNintendo, but I couldn't wait. I had to put up this fic. It was calling me! Please forgive my weak soul master!**

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**The bond that keeps us together**

**Prologue: Shades of green.**

Luigi found himself gazing at the pictures hung up above the chimney again. They were all Mario and himself. Most Mario than himself. They were hung up above a shelf full of trophies, diplomas and other awards, which also swarmed the chimney's top and, some of them, were hanged along with the pictures.

Luigi was having a good time remembering those great times, those great adventures when he and his brother spent time together. But, speaking of his brother, where was he? He was in a party, with Peach.

He sighed. It was a shame that all of those memories were just that, vague images hung up on a wall, and that they would never come back.

Luigi's eyes suddenly stopped at a small picture resting at the farthest corner of the "award wall". It was not too old but yet it was blackened with soot and dust, making it impossible to figure out who was in it, it was the size of a small book and its old, wooden frame was also stained with black. Luigi picked the picture and wiped the dust a little bit with his sleeve. The picture became a little clearer, and Luigi could recognize himself striking a victory pose and holding a small flashlight with his left hand. In the background he could barely recognize the silhouette of the Ghost Portificationer and standing next to him was a small man wearing big, round eyeglasses, also doing the "V of victory" gesture, holding a red vacuum cleaner in his other hand.

Luigi sighed and put the picture back in its place. Then he glanced once again at the Award Wall, hoping to see his name engraved on one of the trophy stands, or on one of the medals or blue ribbons. But no. He only saw Mario's name everywhere. "Congratulations to Mario Mariolli, first place in the Mushroom Kingdom Tennis Open." Read one of the framed papers that hung in the wall, right below it, a trophy with a golden mushroom surrounded with a golden olive garland glittered with the dim light of the foot lamp, which provided the only light in the room.

Right next to the Tennis trophy stood another one with a golden baseball which read on its stand "Mario Fireballs", above of it, a picture with the whole team on it showed a few nokis, piantas, Monty Mole and of course Mario. And Luigi? Where was he? He was standing almost outside the picture's range, only visible his hurrying face and one of his hands. Nobody had actually told him that the picture was about to be taken, and when he realized, he ran to the spot, barely reaching it.

Another picture showed Mario standing on a first-place pedestal, waving to the crowd, a gold medal hanging from his neck. Next to him were, on second place, a rather familiar blue hedgehog and on third place, Peach. The frame of the picture had "Beijing 2008" written on it.

Luigi looked back at his worn and blackened picture and sighed. Then, he turned away from the wall and sat at a green couch that was next to the fireplace. Then he lighted a match and used it to light his green pipe. Then he tossed the still burning match to the chimney, which started burning slowly. He then took a book that was on the small table next to the coach and started reading.

After trying to read a few lines, Luigi realized he was not in the mood to read. He put the book aside and let out a mouthful of white smoke. He stared dreamily at the ghostly shapes that formed as the smoke floated away of its origin. When the smoke finally disappeared, Luigi took another sip of his pipe, and let go the smoke again, thinking.

Then, suddenly, the smoke started moving towards the pictures on the wall. Luigi followed it with his eyes. It was weird. The windows were closed, so there was no possibility that the smoke was moving. Right? But it was indeed, and was heading slowly to a corner of the wall, near the edge of the chimney.

When the smoke met the wall it started swirling around something. It was another picture. But, this one, though, was newer, it was framed in black wood and it was a little bigger than the one with himself and Prof. Elvin. Luigi had not ever seen that picture before, and he could have sworn that it had formed out of the smoke.

Luigi stood up and took the picture from the wall. It was himself, but he looked different. He was almost fully dressed in black clothes, wearing a black eye-mask, black gloves, and his trademark green hat, but it was different. Instead of a white circle with a green L on it, it had a black circle with a green L that was like reflected in a mirror. He was standing in a victory pose too, but this time, an evil smile went through his face, and there was an evil glitter in his eyes.

"Mr. L" Luigi said under his breath.

Luigi remembered Mr. L perfectly. Although he was brainwashed when he turned into his evil self, he was conscious about it. Then, before he could even wonder who had put that picture there, a sudden thought came into his mind, but he discarded it immediately. He could succeed while doing good things. He didn't need to turn to the dark side again. But, he couldn't avoid thinking of that possibility; the idea kept going through his mind, troubling him. But he was decided. Mr. L was a part of his past that he didn't want to remember. Luigi was a good guy.

That night, when he finally went to sleep, Mr. L was there, tempting him, saying his name again and again. And Luigi started doubting he could be able to resist the temptation of following him.

But the weirdest part of it was that when Luigi woke up next morning, he rushed to the award wall and looked for the picture of Mr. L. It was gone.

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**I hope you like it. This is not the end. I should post another chapter tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 1: Lost

**Hi everybody! It's me again. I hope you enjoyed the prologue, I know it was a little boring, but it was necesary.**

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Chapter 1: The race

"Get ready bro, the race starts in two hours!" Mario said behind the door of Luigi's room.

Luigi slowly stood up from the bed. The Mario Kart Mushroom Cup was starting that day. He didn't actually understand very well why they had to take part of that race, they had won it five times already. But Mario had to win. Always.

Luigi sighed and went to the bathroom. He took a fast shower and got dressed in his trademark blue overalls and green shirt. Then he hurried to the living room where Mario was already waiting for him.

"I'm ready. Let's get going." Luigi said. Then both brothers went outside to choose which kart they were going to use.

"Which one are we going to use?" Luigi asked to Mario when they were ready to leave.

"Hmm. I think we should use the Green Firebolt. It's faster."

"Very well then." Luigi said and started getting the Kart onto the truck.

After a few minutes they were ready to leave. As they drove towards the racing track, Luigi was staring absentmindedly at the passing by cars. This didn't go unnoticed by Mario, who asked him what was wrong only to receive a dry "It's nothing" for an answer. After that they drove a little while in silence, until Luigi, noting that Mario hadn't beliebed his answer said:

"Ah, it's just that I don't understand why we have to race. That's all."

Mario didn't know what to say. He also didn't know why he wanted to race. He just wanted to.

"I don't know either. But hey, let's just have fun. Shall we?"

"Yeah, fun." Luigi answered not too enthusiastic.

The rest of the trip they drove in complete silence.

--

When they finally arrived at the Luigi Circuit for the race, everybody was already there, getting their karts prepared. The two brothers took the Green Firebolt out of the truck and started tuning their machine. The race was going to take place within the 150cc standards.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, everybody was ready. The racers took their karts to the start line where the cameraman and start-signaler Lakitu was already in his position.

"Turn your engines on!" he shouted through a loudspeaker. Instants later the roaring of the engines clouded every other noise in the surroundings.

"Ready?" said Lakitu through the loud speaker, turning the red signal light on.

"Set!" the signal light flashed in yellow now. Everybody was preparing for a double-dash now.

"GO!" the instant the signal light turned green, all the karts shot forward like bullets, since everybody managed a double-dash.

Well, almost everybody. Luigi was distracted when the light turned green, so they managed only a single dash, getting behind the rest of the group very fast.

"Luigi, pay attention!" shouted Mario from the driver seat.

"I'm sorry…" Luigi answered.

The rest of the race is not that important, only the fact that the Mario bros. arrived in third place, getting only 6 points; in first place, arrived the Bowser-Bowser Jr. team; in second place arrived the Koopa-Paratroopa duo; and in fourth place arrived Peach and Daisy.

"Luigi, what happened?" Asked Mario when the race ended and everybody were heading to the next location.

"I-I… I don't know. I've been kind of lost lately." Luigi stammered. "But don't worry, it won't happen again."

"I hope so. We must arrive in first place the next three tracks if we want that trophy." Mario said coldly and started driving the truck towards the beach.

"I thought you had said 'let's have fun'" Luigi said, making fun of Mario's voice, which made as though as if he hadn't heard him.

As they arrived to the next race track, Peach Beach, Luigi told Mario:

"Please, let me drive this time."

Mario glared at him.

"Please, I won't mess up, I promise!" Luigi said.

"Ok. But only if you do it right."

"Thank you. I promise I will do my best."

The racers once again took their places in the track. The race that followed, again, is not important. The Mario bros. arrived in first place, getting 10 points, making their total 16.

They were still behind another team, the Bowser team had 18 points, but they managed to toss the Koopa-Paratroopa duo, which arrived fourth, to the third place with 12 points, Daisy and Peach arrived in Third place, making their total points 10.

In the next race, the Mario bros. arrived in second place, putting their numbers in 24. Bowser and Peach-Daisy arrived at the finish line almost exactly at the same time, making it difficult for Laxitu to say who had arrived first, so both arrived in third place getting their points to 24 and 16 respectively and the Koopa duo arrived in first place, making their total 22.

The next race, IS indeed important, but only the second and third lap.

The Mario bros. were rounding the shifting-sand pit already, the Koopa-team behind them and the Bowser team ahead of them. They passed around it with ease, and managed to hit the double item block that was between the two pokeys ahead. Mario got a red shell, and Luigi a spiny shell. "Weird" he thought, but as he was distracted looking at it, the kart passed over a bump, and Luigi accidentally let go off the spiny shell, which flapped its wings and shot forward. "Well, It will hit Bowser and make us win!" he thought, and then he and Mario changed places, so now Luigi was driving.

They were nearly at the end of the track, passing just by the start of the final curves, when Mario tossed his red shell, hitting the rear of Bowser's kart and passing them. At this point, Luigi started wondering why his spiny hadn't hit Bowser yet.

"Yeah!" Luigi heard Mario shout from the back seat. But just in that moment, when they were so close to ending the second lap in first place, Luigi heard a very familiar hissing sound. The spiny shell he had tossed was pursuing them! Luigi stepped on the gas as hard as he could. They were only meters away from the finish line, when Mario shouted. "Spiny!"

Boooom!

They were hit by the blue blast of air that made them flip in the air. But it was not the end of it, barely a second after they touched the ground again…

Boooom!

Another spiny hit them, making them fly and flip again. They were blown to the sixth place.

As soon as the kart was able to run again, Luigi pushed the gas down with all of his might. In the small space between the start line and the shifting sand pit, they managed to climb into the fourth place, made invincible by a power star they got when they were on fifth. Luigi was driving, and he thought they still had enough invincibility to pass through the sand pit without being harmed. That would put them at least in second place. So as they approached to the sand pit, he started accelerating. Mario guessed what Luigi was going to do.

"Luigi don't do it!" he said. But Luigi didn't hear him and entered the pit.

They almost made it, almost. But in the last moment, the star's effect wore off. Noticing this, Luigi instantly stepped into the gas, but they weren't able to overthrow the mighty sands, and were swallowed by them.

When they finally came out of the pit a few seconds later, they were already in eighth place. Luigi didn't give up. He accelerated as soon as the kart's wheels touched the ground, managing a small speed boost.

"Start snaking Mario!" He shouted, and they started doing the so-hated technique, which put them back into the sixth place by the end of the dunes part of the track.

"If we manage to get into to fifth place we still can achieve a third place!" shouted Mario from the back seat. Luigi pushed the gas even further. They passed the fifth place.

"We're going to make it bro!" said Luigi, turning his face away from the track to see Mario. Big mistake.

"Luigi watch out!"

Luigi turned to see the track. A banana peel was standing there, just in front of him. Luigi instinctively turned the steering wheel to the left, but it was too late. They passed over the banana peel, spinning helplessly in their place for a brief period of time. Enough time for the sixth and seventh places to pass by them. So, they were going to arrive in the seventh place. "Well, at least we aren't the last ones." Luigi thought. They were only a few meters away from the finish line, when they heard a very familiar song behind them.

Luigi wasn't able to react on time and they were bumped aside by an invincible Wario team.

"Ha! Ha! Losers!" they heard Wario shout from the finish line. The Mario bros. had arrived in eighth place.

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**Well did you like it? I hope so. Review please!**


	3. Chapter 2: Broken

**Je je. I know, you didn't understand the why of the last chapter, but don't worry, it's explained here.****: Broken**

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**Chapter 2**

"I can't believe it." Mario said for the fifty-fourth time, staring at the T.V, where a tape of the race was being passed over and over again.

"I'm sorry bro; I shouldn't have tried to go through that pit." Luigi said, taking a seat next to his brother on the sofa.

"Don't blame yourself, Luigi. It wasn't your fault; you tried to get us to the first place." Mario said as he rewinded the tape again. "I just can't believe that two spiny shells hit us one right after the other…" Mario said looking at the T.V screen with teary eyes.

Luigi kept silent; that was his fault. But he couldn't tell his brother, or he would surely hate him for the rest of their lives.

Mario rewinded the tape again, but this time he returned a little before the two spiny shells hit their kart. And he saw that Luigi was holding one. He instantly jumped out of the sofa and rewinded the tape again. He then paused it. Yep, Luigi was holding a spiny shell with his right hand. Mario played the tape again, and saw the part where they passed over a bump and Luigi let go the spiny.

"You had a spiny shell?" Mario asked with disbelief.

"Yes, but-but…" Luigi stammered, not knowing what to say.

"You tossed a spiny shell while in second place!?" Mario asked, this time with anger in his voice.

"Well I thought it would hit Bowser and…"

"Luigi that "thought" cost us our title!" Mario was shouting now.

"It was an accident I…"

"Accident?! It was an accident?!" Mario emphasized the second "accident" by tossing the remote control to the ground, shattering it to pieces. "Was slipping with the banana peel an accident too?!"

"I think that answer is pretty obvious don't…"

"And the sand pit?! Was that an accident too?!" Mario cut Luigi off.

"Well I…"

"You!? You are a freakin' accident!" snapped Mario

Luigi stepped back, clearly hurt by Mario's words.

"Everything, every single thing you do, you do it wrong!" Mario emphasized each word with a pause and a stomp on the floor.

Luigi kept stepping back, not realizing he was getting closer to the award wall with each step.

"You can't do the simplest thing without messing it up!"

Luigi was now only a couple of steps away from the award wall.

"You are the worst brother that I could ever have!"

One step.

"You are nothing else than a damned looser!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Luigi snapped back, straightening himself a little without realizing and…

CRASHHHHHHHHHH!!

The shelf holding all the trophies crashed to the floor, spilling it's content all around the red and green rug. Now all of Mario's years of hard work laid on the floor, shattered to small pieces, reduced to nothing but shards of gold, glass and wood.

For an instant, nobody said anything. They just stood in their places, staring in disbelief at the big mess around them. Mario's mouth was open in a silent scream, while his fists slowly started clenching.

"Get out of here…" he said so low that Luigi wasn't able to hear.

"Mario I'm so…"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!" he shouted.

Luigi stood on his place, too shocked to move, disbelief and sorrow shining in his eyes now full of tears. Then, realizing it wasn't a good idea to just stand there, Luigi ran upstairs, not daring to look Mario in the eye.

Luigi ran to his room and closed the door behind him.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!" He shouted, punching the green wall in the last "damn it".

"Why!? Why I have to be so freakin' clumsy!!" He shouted, this time slamming his head on the wall, hurting himself.

"Ouch." Luigi rubbed his head and looked up. He saw his face reflected in the mirror he had in his room, and he could have sworn that, for a moment, the white circle that surrounded the L in his hat had turned black.

Luigi sighed and laid on his bed, face down.

"Ughh… Why…Why…"

Luigi spent the rest of the day locked inside his room, thinking. That night, he couldn't sleep. He just laid there, on his bed, in complete silence.

Suddenly, Luigi opened his eyes; sleep had managed to take over for a few minutes. He looked at his alarm clock. 11:30, he slept for half an hour. Not feeling drowsy any more, he decided to go downstairs. He didn't know why, he just wanted to.

So, Luigi got up from bed and slowly and silently opened his room's door. His room was just in front of the stairs, and he could see light coming from the living room. He took off his shoes and started making his way downstairs.

Trying to avoid making any noise, Luigi passed the entrance hall and entered the living room. Inside, he saw Mario sitting on the sofa, sleeping. Then, he turned to the award wall. Some trophies still lay there, broken, but the shelf was back on its place, along with some trophies that didn't break.

Then, Luigi turned to the dining room that was next to the entrance hall, and saw light coming from it. He slowly got there and saw that the table was full of trophy shards and stands, and a small super-glue bottle that rested there, empty.

Luigi sighed, turned off all the lights, grabbed a blanket from the closet that was below the stairs and covered the sleeping Mario with it. Then he returned to his room upstairs and took out a small suitcase he kept under his bed. He started stuffing it with some clothes, blankets and other pieces of cloth that could be useful. Next, he grabbed a briefcase and filled it with some things he could use: his flashlight, a watch, some batteries, his wallet, his cell phone, a notebook, some pens, and a copy of the house's key. He then went downstairs again, grabbed some cash he kept hidden inside a cookie can, scribbled a note on a piece of paper, grabbed the keys of the truck, and left, but not before taking a last glance to his former home, and to his former brother, who laid on the couch, sleeping peacefully.

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**Please forgive me if this chapter was a little rushed, but I really wanted to get to the part where Luigi leaves home. I hope you had enjoyed it! And Review please!**


	4. Chapter 3: Gone

**Jeje. Well, thanks to everybody for your reviews. I'm glad that you like my story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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The Bond that Keeps us Toghether

Chapter 3: Gone.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

…

Ring.

….

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

…

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.

…

Knock.Knock.Knock."Mario!!"

…

"Mario, are you there?"

…

"Mario! Luigi! Is anyone at home?"

"Hmmmm…"

Mario slowly opened his eyes. He was still lying on the couch.

Riiiiiiiiiiing.

"Coming!!" he shouted upon hearing the doorbell. He had stayed up late last night, trying to fix Luigi's mess, so he was tired, very tired.

Mario slowly got up of the couch, removing the blanket that, curiously, had appeared there while he was asleep.

He opened the front door. There was a blonde woman wearing blue jeans and a pink shirt standing there, her hair was tied in a ponytail

"Hey Peach, what's up?" Mario asked, inviting Peach to come into the house.

"Well, I was passing by, and decided to pay you and Luigi a visit." Peach answered, stepping into the house.

"Oh, very well. Please, come into the dining room, I was about to have a breakfast. Would you like a cup of coffee or something?" Mario said heading for the kitchen.

"Yeah, of course."

Peach headed for the dining room and gasped upon seeing the mess at the table.

"Ummm. What's this about, Mario?" she asked.

"Eh? Oh… Oh, yeah, sorry about the mess, we had a little accident last night."

"Are this…" Peach said picking up a small piece of glass. "… your trophies?"

"Yeah, the shelf holding them fell, and they… well… broke." Mario said from the kitchen, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Ugh…" Peach seated at the head of the table, which was the part with less "trophies" on it.

"Umm, by the way. Where's Luigi?"

"Um, he's upstairs in his room." Mario said, with shadowy voice.

Peach noted this and said.

"Is everything all right between you?"

"Umm, yeah, everything is fine, it's just…" Mario paused, not daring to tell Peach about his fight with his brother.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"Tell me…"

Mario sighed, he knew he had to tell someone some day. But he just didn't want to admit that he felt sorry for shouting at Luigi the way he did.

"Ah… It's just that Luigi and I had an argument yesterday."

Peach stared at Mario through the arc that was in the wall that divided the kitchen and the dining room. Then he glanced at the broken trophies on the table.

"You don't mean he broke your trophies, did he?" Peach asked with concern in her voice.

"It-It was not his fault, it was an… just an accident." Mario said, obviously regretting the events of the past day.

Just in that moment, the coffee machine made a soft beep, announcing that it had finished making the coffee.

"The coffee is ready. Would you like to have something to eat?" Mario asked with a sad and sorry tone in his voice.

"No thank you, with the coffee is enough." Peach said. "I think I will go to see Luigi, maybe he wants coffee too."

Peach then left the dining room and went upstairs. She knocked on Luigi's room a couple of times. Since she didn't get any answer, she called:

"Luigi!"

Silence.

"Luigi, are you in there?"

More silence.

Peach tested the doorknob. The door was unlocked. She opened it and found Luigi's room in complete darkness.

"Luigi?" she asked. Then she turned the light on and gasped at what she saw. The room was a total mess, as if a hurricane had passed through it. The bed had neither blankets nor pillows on it, and was full of clothes and various items. There were also clothes scattered everywhere on the floor, along with papers, books, notebooks and pieces of a shattered mirror. The small desk that was in the room was also a complete mess of papers and pens, the drawers were open and inside them reined a complete chaos.

"Mario, come here, quickly!" Peach shouted, upon hearing this, Mario ran upstairs as fast as he could.

"What? What is it?" he said when he reached Luigi's room.

"Look." Peach told him, pointing at the mess in Luigi's room.

"Oh my… Damn it, Luigi!"

Mario stormed around the house, searching in each room for his brother and calling his name time after time. He opened drawers, closets, bathrooms and every other thing that can be opened. He looked under his bed, under Luigi's bed, under the table, inside the cupboards and in any other place in which Luigi could have been hidden, even if it was ridiculous, like inside the chimney, the oven, the washing machine, and even on the roof.

After searching the house for about three times, Mario made himself to the idea that Luigi was not in the house. Just then, he sat at the dining table, where Peach was already waiting for him.

"Well, did you find him?" Asked Peach when Mario finally settled down, although she already knew the answer.

"No, he's not here." Mario answered, very disappointed and regretful.

"Well, I did find something." Peach said.

"Really?" Mario asked, surprised, hope invading his sorrowful self.

"Yes! Look."

Peach handed Mario a small notebook page. There was a note written on Luigi's clearly distinguishable handwriting, which was composed of tight and nervous strokes, which made it almost impossible to decipher. Mario cleared his throat and started reading.

"Dear Mario, I hope you are alright when you read this. By the time you see this note I will be already very far away. Don't blame yourself for this, it was not your fault, I just need some time to think about things, you know, some time on my own. I promise I will return a stronger person.

"Don't look for me, I will return when I have repaired my mistakes and settled my mind.

"Love from your bro… brother…"

A tear landed on the notebook page. Mario couldn't read the last word of the note, his voice was broken and he had started crying.

"This is my fault!" he yelled, punching the table so hard that it barely resisted.

"Please don't say that." Peach tried to cheer him up.

"No, it is my fault. I yelled at him last night, a lot." Mario sat at the table and stared at the not he still held in his hand, not wanting to believe that his brother had really left.

"Maybe if I hurry I can still catch him up." Mario said hurrying for the door.

"But, Mario, you don't even know where he went!" Peach said, running after him

"I don't care, I'll just look for him until I find him and… and…"

"Listen to me!" Peach grabbed his hand. "You can't just aimlessly drive around the city looking for him!"

"But I have to! He might have an accident and get hurt or… better not to think what else could happen to him."

"Mario, Luigi is a grownup; he can take care of himself."

"But… But…"

"Listen, let's wait, maybe he will come back soon."

"But what if he doesn't?" Mario asked, starting to pace around the entrance hall. "He might never come back, and I would not be able to bear the guilt!"

"Well, let's call the police then, if that makes you feel better."

"No, it doesn't."

But Peach was already heading to the living room and Mario followed her a bit reluctantly.

--

_Do you need some time on your own?_

_Do you need some time all alone?_

_Oooh!_

_Everybody needs some time on their own!_

_Oooh!_

_Don't you know you need some time on your own!?_

Luigi changed to another radio station. He had been driving for two hours now, and the night was still pitch-black. He was not in the mood for _November Rain._

"Let's begin this transmission of 'Famous Movie Quotes' with…"

"Ahhh, that's better." Luigi said and turned right on a detour.

"This movie was a best-seller back in 2005, being the last of the prequel trilogy. Let's hear the most famous quotes of this wonderful movie, Star Wars, Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith!"

The radio then started playing some epic star-wars background music.

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would _destroy_ the Sith, not _join_ them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

"I HATE YOU!"

"You were my brother Anakin. I loved you!"

"Ughh." Luigi turned to another station.

_Dust in the wind._

_All we are is dust in the wind._

"Sigh, I am dust in the wind." Luigi turned off the radio and continued driving in silence, he then started feeling very tired, spotted a motel, and decided to have a little rest there, maybe have some breakfast later too.

So, Luigi drove to the motel and parked the truck in a small space between another two cars. Then, he took his suitcase out of the truck's trunk and walked into the motel's reception. An old toad lady was standing behind the counter, asleep.

"Umm. Excuse me." Luigi said. The lady didn't even move a finger.

"Umm. Excuse me!" Luigi said, a little louder this time. Again, there was no response.

"EXCUSE ME!" he yelled. This time the lady jumped, startled by Luigi's shout.

"Ughh, no need for yelling boy…" the lady said, rubbing her eyes.

"I would like a room please."

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid we're full."

"What?!" Luigi's jaw dropped, where was he going to sleep now? "But, I-I need a room!"

"Sorry, please come back later." The lady said, and rested her head on the counter again, falling asleep in a couple of seconds.

Luigi sighed, and then he walked to the truck again, climbed inside and started driving again.

After a few miles, he stopped on a lay-by, and got out of the truck. He opened his suitcase, took a blanket and a pillow, and climbed into the truck again, deciding to sleep there.

He quickly fell asleep. The truck was a pick-up, so the front seats were only one making it a not very comfortable place to sleep, but it was better than nothing.

Luigi was awakened a couple of minutes later by a knock on the driver's side window. He peeked through the window and saw a small toad standing there. He opened the window and asked with a sleepy voice.

"Whet do ya want…?"

"Um, could you tell me what time is it, please?" asked the toad, Luigi could smell the alcohol in his breath.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Luigi looked at his watch. "It's two o'clock in the morning."

"Whoa, thank you pal. I should be heading back to my house eh?"

"Yeaaaaahhhhh… Whatever." Luigi said with a yawn. He then closed the window and went to sleep once more.

But later, he was awakened yet by another knock on the window. He opened it again and glared at the koopa standing there.

"What is it?" Luigi asked with an unfriendly voice.

"Um, I was wondering, could you tell me what time is it, please?" the koopa asked, ignoring Luigi's angry tone.

"Arrghhh!" Luigi looked at his watch again. "It's three with thirty!"

"Thank you pal!"

"Ye're welcome… damn it, why they can't take a watch with them." Luigi closed the window and went to sleep again, only to be woken up again a few minutes later.

He opened the window again and saw another toad standing there.

"Could you tell me what time is…?"

"IT'S FOUR O'CLOCK. NOW GO AWAY!!"

The toad ran away as fast as he could. Luigi then scribbled a note reading _I DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME IS IT _and put it on his window. Then he went to sleep once more, only to be woken up again an hour later, this time an old lady was standing there.

"What is it now?" Luigi asked, exasperated.

"Its five o'clock dear."

"Arrghhh!!" Luigi shouted and closed his window again, this time, though he did not went to sleep since the sun was already rising.

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**Well, did you like it? I surely did. I decided to give this chapter a small comic ending, you know, to relieve stress. Jejeje. R&R please!**


	5. Chapter 4: Done

**Here is the last chapter of this story, but... It isn't the end of this small plot... jejeje enjoy!**

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Chapter 4: Done

"See? This is why I didn't want to call the police!"

"Mario, they are just a few reporters…"

"Well, maybe you know a different definition for 'few'"

Mario and Peach were peeking through the window that looked to the street. There was a huge crowd of reporters outside Mario's house. When the police told to the "media" that Luigi had disappeared, all of the newspapers, magazines, news programs, and any other gossipy people, obviously found out, and obviously went to the "hot spot" to get the news.

As soon as Mario opened the door of his house to see who was at it, he had to close it, because almost immediately a cascade of people threatened to flood his house.

"Sigh… Now how I am going to find Luigi if I can't even get out of my own house?"

Mario sat at the long couch in front of the T.V and turned it on, on the Shroom's network.

The news program was only starting.

"…border with the Beanbean kingdom. In other news, the Mario family has just been stricken with a tragedy. The younger of the two brothers disappeared, leaving no trace of him behind, except a small note on a notebook paper. Our correspondent, Hall T, has just arrived to the Marios' house.

"Thank you, Jess." A toad female wearing bright-pink eyeglasses appeared on screen. "I'm outside of the official Mario residence where, Mario hasn't showed up yet, he called the police a few minutes ago, reporting his younger brother, Luigi, missing. But some rumors say that Mario threw Luigi out of the house…"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!!"

All of the news reporters standing outside of Mario's house jumped, surprised by Mario's sudden yell. A brave reporter approached him, a bit reluctantly, and held the microphone close to Mario.

"Can you tell us why then?" he asked, shyly.

"Well, no… I-I…I don't want to" Mario answered. Another reporter held her microphone closer.

"Please, tell us, or the rumors will spread."

"Yeah, and soon, everybody will be telling lies about you!" another reporter shouted. Everybody in the crowd agreed with him.

"Well… It's just that… Well… Luigi and I… We… had an… an…." Mario was fighting with his conscience to tell the final word. "We had an argument."

The entire crowd fell silent, expecting more details.

"It was Luigi's decision to leave, I didn't throw him out."

Nobody made any more questions, and Mario returned to the house. It was kind of weird, reporters were always very insistent, and they used to stalk you until you either told them the truth or killed yourself, in which case, they would have a better note to present.

Mario turned on his heels and peeked through the window. He gasped, almost all of the reporters were gone, and the only one remaining was the Shroom's Network reporter. Mario glanced at the T.V. The reporter said.

"Oooookey… That was weird. Mario suddenly pokes his head out of his house and starts blabbering incoherencies about the issue. Has he turned insane with the loss of his brother? More of it at 5:00."

Mario stood there, staring with blank eyes at the T.V screen, his jaw dropped so much that it threatened to fall apart. He couldn't believe it. He could have sworn that the news reporters were really there, he had seen them, and he had spoken to them. He wasn't crazy, was he?

"Peach, you saw the reporters right?" Mario asked Peach, who was also staring at the T.V

"Well, I saw the Shroom's Network reporter, but there was anyone else outside." Peach told Mario with a surprised and kind of "you are insane" look on his face.

"But I saw them; I swear I saw them…"

The news program was now telling the traffic report.

"We inform you that there has been a terrible accident in the Mushroom highway, where a small pick-up wagon crashed with a truck carrying food. The driver of the pick-up did not survive, and has been identified, but for national security issues, his name shall not be revealed in this public news program…"

Peach and Mario were not listening to the news, had they been, the sorrow in their souls would have been too much to bear, since the driver of the pick-up was a very loved person for them…

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**A/N: This is a little before the events above, which took part around 10 o'clock in the morning. **

Luigi's eyelids were heavy, as if they were made of lead. He was used to sleep at least five hours a day, and he was sleepy now.

"Ughh, I must… remain… awake…" Luigi told himself while fighting to keep his eyes on the road.

He turned on the radio, hoping that some music would help him to keep his mind clear. The announcer said.

"…ts begin with the "classical hour" here on 91.6 FM, music 24/7!"

The radio then started playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Luigi felt his eyelids even heavier upon hearing the sad and melancholic chords of the song.

With a lot of effort, Luigi changed the station; he was starting to nod off. The next station was not better; it was playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in A major, which was also very slow and melancholic.

Luigi could not bear the drowsiness anymore and closed his eyes. He wasn't able to see the huge truck that was heading towards him, nor he was able to hear the huge honk of the truck, and even less he was able to avoid crashing head on with the truck. But the last thing he felt before his mind turned blank was not pain. He felt that inside his soul, a small string was pulled...

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**As I've already said before, this is not the end. I decided not to make this fic any longer because my other ideas about this plotline do not fit in the Angst/Hurt/Comfort category of this fic. If you liked this side of the story, you might not like the Adventure/Mystery side of it. So, review please. **

**By the way. The end really sucks...**


	6. Credits and Special Thanks

**Credits and Special Thanks**

**Storyline**

Luigirocsz

**Characterization**

Luigirocsz

**Character Development**

Nintendo

**Beta**

Azonintendo

**DISCLAIMER: I am aware that Nintendo owns Mario and his universe, this story is only for amusement and is not used for any monetary purposes. Also, the song November Rain belongs to the group Guns'n'Roses, and Star Wars: Episode III belongs to Lucasfilms LTD. The storyline is property of the author (me) and it shall not be used, copied or anything like that without the author's (me) permission.**

**Special Thanks**

**To , for letting us post our works in this site.**

**To Cascore, for (indirectly and unintentionally) introducing me to this site.**

**To Team Rocket Rose, for her wonderful site, and for introducing me to the world of fanfiction.**

**To Azonintendo, for helping me by beta-reading my story.**

**To all the people that have reviewed this story so far:**

**Azonintendo**

**Cascore**

**Sparklie-the-tiger**

**Keniakittykat**

**Niwa-chan**

**And the anonymous reviewers:**

**James Birdsong**

**Code1295**

**To Toshiba, for providing the computer that I'm using right now.**

**To Microsoft, for providing the software that I used to write this story down.**

**And finally, but not less important, thanks to all of you for reading this story and enjoying it, if you liked it, check the sequel: The Power of Music. **

**SEE YA, AND HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!!!**


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